Skip to Main Content

Management of Complex Systems - Information for Graduate Students

Citation Managers

There are many different citation management tools. While there are many citation managers, this guide will give you information about three: RefWorks, Zotero, and Mendeley. These are the citation managers that are most often used at UC Merced, and the citation managers with which the librarians are most familiar.

All citation managers let you:

  • add citations from databases (PsycINFO; Web of Science; Academic Search Complete, etc)
  • organize your citations
  • add PDF files; annotate PDFs
  • format citations in multiple citation styles
  • format citations in Microsoft Word to create bibliographies
  • share your citations with colleagues / classmates

If you have any questions about which citation manager to use, this video will help you make your choice: Choosing a Citation Management Tool.
 

RefWorks

refworks logo

RefWorks

  • cloud-based, no client download

Tools

  • "Save to RefWorks"  is a bookmarklet for your browser.  Use it to add website references to RefWorks. 
  • "RefWorks Citation Manager" OR "Write-N-Cite" for Microsoft Word is a plugin allowing to you insert/edit citations and create a bibliography as your write.

Access

  • available to UC Merced students, faculty, and staff

Citation Styles

  • Offers thousands of citations styles including Citation Styles Language (CSL) citation styles
  • Edit and save a citation style using the Citation Style Editor

Adding References

  • Drop and drag files; RefWorks will try to extract citation information
  • Export citations from databases
  • Use "Save to RefWorks" bookmarklet
  • Add Manually

Viewing Options

  • Choose a desired Reference view (normal, table, full, or citation view)
  • Click on a citation to load a panel at the right for article details

Organizing References

  • Create projects (upper left)
  • Create folders and sub-folders within projects (side left)

Sharing References

  • Share projects; invite via email
  • Share folders in a project with options to Read, Annotate, or Modify

Linking to Full-Text

  • UC-eLinks link will appear on right-hand panel for references

Creating Bibliographies

  • Use "Create Bibliography" in upper navigation
  • Use tools (see above) in Word or Google docs
 

Highlight: Good for collaboration; easy to learn and use

Lowlight: Working solely in the in the cloud may require some patience especially if uploading multiple PDFs

Zotero

Zotero

  • citation management tool
  • web, desktop, and mobile platforms

Tools

  • easily import citations from academic journals & the web
  • can format citations on Google Docs and Microsoft Word
  • allows for collaboration with team members
  • ZoteroBib provides quick citations 
  • Retraction Watch informs you when articles are retracted

Access

  • free account with 300 MB of storage; purchase premium accounts to access more storage

Citation Styles

  • Offers over 9400 citation styles, in fields from anthropology to zoology
  • Import, edit, and save citation styles

Adding References

  • Drop and drag citation styles; Zotero will try to extract citation information
  • Export citation from databases
  • Import citations from the web
  • Add manually

Viewing Options

  • View references in folders or full library

Organizing References

  • Create folders and sub-folders

Sharing References

  • Share references through groups; invite via email
  • Groups can be open (public), or private

Linking to Full-Text

  • If available Zotero will attempt to download a full-text PDF when importing citations (you can also set Zotero to NOT download full-text PDFs)

Creating Bibliographies

  • Right-click to select citations and click "Create bibliography from items..."
  • Use Zotero's Microsoft Word or Google Doc plugins

 

Highlight: No cost, and includes a robust online community. Zotero can also be used to make quick citations. Includes a "Retraction Watch" feature.

Lowlight: No cost means that there is no designated customer service team.

 

Mendeley

Mendeley

  • citation management and academic networking tool
  • web, desktop, and mobile platforms

Tools

  • Mendeley's Web Importer is a browser extension compatible with most commonly used browsers.  Use it to add website and database references to Mendeley. 
  • Mendeley's Microsoft Word Plugin allows you to insert/edit citations and create a bibliography as your write.

Access

  • free account with 2 GB of storage; purchase premium accounts to access more storage and sharing options

Citation Styles

  • Offers nearly 7,000 of citations styles including Citation Styles Language (CSL) citation styles
  • Import, edit and save a citation style using the Citation Style Editor

Adding References

  • Drop and drag files; Mendeley will try to extract citation information
  • Export citations from databases
  • Use the Web Importer browser extension
  • Create a Watch folder on your computer
  • Add references from Mendeley Web
  • Add Manually

Viewing Options

  • Choose a desired Reference view (table or citation view)
  • Click on a citation to load a panel at the right for article details

Organizing References

  • Create folders and sub-folders 

Sharing References

  • Share references through groups; invite via email
  • Groups can be open (public), private, or invite-only

Linking to Full-Text

  • If available, Mendeley will attempt to download a full-text PDF when importing citations

Creating Bibliographies

  • Right click on citations and select Copy As--> formatted citation
  • Use Mendeley's Microsoft Word Plugin
 

Highlight: Facilitates collaboration and networking; library access and document annotations are synced across platforms

Lowlight: No UC-eLinks integration; a direct export to Mendeley option is not available in most databases